You might be familiar with tart cherries if you like to cook. Tart — or sour — cherries are used in pies, preserves, soups, cakes, tarts, sauces and cocktails.
They also might help you sleep better. Studies have shown tart cherry juice can help you sleep longer and better.
Two of the most common varieties of tart cherries are Montmorency and Balaton, which often come from Michigan. They are sourer than sweet cherries like Rainier, Bing and Lambert cherries. They also have higher antioxidant content than sweet cherries, giving them the potential to have stronger health benefits.
Tart cherries are rich sources of antioxidants, in particular anthocyanins, which are responsible for the purple pigmentation of these fruits. They possess a strong antioxidant capacity as well as anti-inflammatory qualities, making them disease-fighting tools. Tart cherry juice concentrate, specifically, seems to have the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities compared to frozen, canned, or dried cherries.
Tart cherries are a natural source of melatonin, the sleep-promoting hormone. After eating tart cherries, melatonin levels rise significantly in test subjects, which often contributes to improved sleep.
In one study, 20 participants were given either placebo or 30 milliliters of concentrated tart cherry juice within 30 minutes of waking and 30 minutes before bed each day. The tart cherry juice group saw significant increases in time spent in bed, total sleep time, and total sleep efficiency. People who drank cherry juice slept an average of 39 minutes longer than those given a placebo.
In another study, people with insomnia drank two 8-ounce servings of tart cherry juice in the morning and the same before bed for two weeks. Scores for insomnia severity were significantly reduced after supplementation, and participants also woke up fewer times during the night.
If you suffer from sleep disturbances and feel like you’ve tried everything, give tart cherry juice a try. You’d have to eat a whole lot of fresh cherries to equal a few ounces of juice.
Drink a cup of tart cherry juice about an hour before bed or twice a day. Look for a high-quality tart cherry juice, without added sugar, or tart cherry juice concentrate at supermarkets or health food stores.
Environmental Nutrition is an independent newsletter written by experts on health and nutrition.
